InvestSource Inc.: PureSpectrum, Inc. Finishes Testing for Dimmable Linear Fluorescent Ballast Technology

Jul 15, 2008 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- PSPM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Stocks in the News: PureSpectrum, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: PSPM), Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESIO), Fonix Corporation (OTC BB: FNIX), Aviza Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVZA)

Jul 14, 2008 -- PureSpectrum, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: PSPM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) has completed performance testing on its proprietary dimming ballast technology for linear fluorescents at the request of multiple major lighting manufacturers, and the data generated through the independent testing indicates the technology meets or exceeds commercial production standards for ballasts set forth by the American National Standards Institute, the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Star program and the Federal Communications Commission. "We commissioned these tests at the request of several brand name lighting manufacturers who have expressed interest in PureSpectrum's dimmable ballast technology," said PureSpectrum president and CEO Lee Vanatta. "The data generated met or exceeded the results these manufacturers needed to see. The tests clearly confirm the viability of a manufacturer being able to immediately integrate our technology into commercial production." PureSpectrum owns several patents and patents pending related to electronic ballast and dimming technology for both Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs and linear fluorescent ballasts. The company has been engaged in ongoing discussions for the past few months with multiple lighting manufacturers regarding licensing the technology for integration into a commercially available product line. PureSpectrum's unique ballast design for linear fluorescent lamps enables full linear regressive dimming capability and approximately 75 percent fewer electronic components than conventional dimmable ballast for linear fluorescent lamps. Vanatta said a linear fluorescent lighting manufacturer would gain a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace by being able to offer an affordable linear fluorescent product. "Dimming for linear fluorescents is no longer a niche in the lighting industry, and being able to offer optimal performance at an affordable cost to the consumer would allow a manufacturer to surge to the leading edge of lighting development," Vanatta said. "Our technology could be the catalyst for a linear fluorescent manufacturer to substantially strengthen its position within the industry because we have developed high performance technology which accommodates the performance and cost expectations of the consumer."

July 14, 2008 -- Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESIO), a leading provider of world-class photonic and laser systems for micro-engineering applications, today introduced "Cignis," a laser-based system for wafer singulation. The system utilizes ESI's patented technology and includes a picosecond, "Ultrafast" laser to enable fully automated wafer scribing and full-cut dicing, on a variety of processes, and provides high-performance and high yields. Production shipments of the system are expected to begin during the Company's third fiscal 2009 quarter. Trends in the mobile and consumer electronics markets are driving the semiconductor industry to supply three-dimensional (3D) stacked packages for greater performance and form factor needs. 3D stacked packages typically contain memory, logic and other complex semiconductor devices which have been reduced in thickness to 100 microns or less. These thinner semiconductor devices are becoming increasingly difficult to effectively singulate with conventional dicing and scribing technologies. Also, these high-performance devices typically incorporate low-K dielectrics and copper (Cu) interconnects that create additional challenges to the singulation process. Cignis was designed to specifically address all of these issues. "Cignis will be used to remove low-K dielectrics and to singulate wafers, protecting the wafer's overall die break strength and reducing damage from the heat-affected zone," commented Martin Igarashi, director of semiconductor products group at ESI. "As the semiconductor assembly process becomes more complex, we believe that our unique capabilities of the Cignis system technology will be employed to enable future wafer assembly requirements and lower overall operating costs. The success of this technology very likely will lead to rapid global adoption at leading assembly factories worldwide."

Jul 14, 2008 -- Fonix Speech, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fonix Corporation (OTC BB: FNIX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) specializing in embedded speech interfaces for mobile devices, handheld electronic products, video game systems and processors, announces its Fonix VoiceIn 5.0 tool-kit is immediately available for the Apple iPhone 3G. Fonix VoiceIn 5.0 includes a license and run time engine fee to video game developers. "We expect to leverage our prior successes with video game developers that incorporate Fonix VoiceIn Game tool-kit for an increasingly growing mobile video game market," says Steven G. Jones, Fonix Director of sales and business development. "A hands free game like Tom Clancy's 'EndWar,' developed by Ubisoft, features Fonix VoiceIn for Games and is a natural fit for the Apple iPhone 3G. Identified as a powerful game platform, the iPhone is poised to explode the market with the powerful, easy-to-use and intuitive Fonix voice interactive software. In addition to Ubisoft, Vivendi, EA Sports, Harmonix and other game developers that have licensed Fonix speech technology, we expect an increasing number of new game developers to release games for the Apple iPhone 3G." In addition to the Apple iPhone 3G, Fonix VoiceIn software allows for voice command interface across multiple platforms including XBOX 360 , PlayStation 3 , Wii games, PC and Mac videogames. Fonix VoiceIn maybe licensed for a single platform or for multiple platforms in a variety of languages.

Jul 14, 2008 -- Aviza Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVZA), a supplier of advanced semiconductor capital equipment and process technologies for the global semiconductor industry and related markets, today announced that it has licensed its VTR Vertical Furnace product line to Expertech, Inc., a manufacturer of diffusion and LPCVD furnaces for large scale production as well as the development of Semiconductor, Optoelectronic, MEMS, Photonic, and Photovoltaic devices. Located in Scotts Valley, California the Company also provides engineering and ongoing service and support for their products. The license agreement, which was signed on July 10, 2008, gives Expertech full rights to manufacture, service and support the VTR vertical furnace products that were originally marketed under the 'Thermco' name and later produced by Silicon Valley Group, ASML and Aviza. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Aviza's management team made the business decision to license the VTR products to align with the company's strategy to diversify into growing and expanding markets," said Patrick O'Connor, Aviza Technology's executive vice president and chief financial officer. "This license ensures a smooth transition for customers worldwide as they will have continued access to quality service and product support for this line of products. Expertech is well qualified to continue manufacturing VTR products and servicing the global installed base."

Market Wrap for July 14th, 2008

It was a volatile start to the week as stocks started Monday's session more than 1% higher, only to settle with a 0.9% loss. The swings came as market participants focused on the third largest bank failure in U.S. history and digested news that the government had a plan to prop up government sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae (FNM 9.68, -0.57) and Freddie Mac (FRE 7.21, -0.54). In the end, the financial sector tumbled 6.1%, marking its largest one-day percent loss in more than eight years. Fannie opened 32% higher and Freddie opened with a gain of 26%, leading the market sharply higher. However, both stocks -- and the market -- saw gains dissipate on worries that the plan will not be enough for stockholders. The plan was called a "disaster" by investor Jim Rogers and a Goldman Sachs analyst noted the potential for another 35% retreat in the stock prices of each company, according to Bloomberg.com. Financials were already poised to be in focus after nervous customers pulled their money out of IndyMac Bancorp (IMB 0.15, -0.13), prompting its collapse and subsequent seizure by the FDIC over the weekend. The possibility of failure was not unexpected -- IndyMac's stock was already down 99% from its 52-week high. Still, the results rattled the market, with fear that other regional banks may collapse. Within the financial sector, 96% of stocks posted a loss. Regional banks slipped 11% and thrifts and mortgages fell 13%. Stocks fared better outside of financials, considering the next worst performing sector (utilities) posted a relatively small loss of 1.3%. Two of the ten economic sectors posted a gain, led by energy (+0.8%). There were plenty of merger and acquisition items to keep market participants busy. Anheuser-Busch (BUD 66.85, +0.35) finally agreed to be bought by InBev, after the Belgian company increased its offer to $70 per share, or $52 billion, from $65 per share. Over the weekend, Yahoo! (YHOO 22.53, -1.04) rejected a joint proposal from Microsoft (MSFT 25.12, -0.13) and Carl Icahn that called for a restructuring of Yahoo, which would include Microsoft taking over Yahoo's search business. As stocks stumbled, investors sought safety in the Treasury market. The 10-year note rose 26 ticks, sending its yield down to 3.86%.

ABOUT INVESTSOURCE, INC.: WIN an 8 day 7 nights Caribbean Getaway, GO TO: www.investsourceinc.com.

To hear "The Fastest 60 Seconds in the Small-Cap Market," please go to www.ceo-corner.com This opinion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. This material is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities. InvestSource, Inc. has prepared all material herein based upon information believed to be reliable. The information contained herein is not guaranteed by InvestSource, Inc. to be accurate, and should not be considered to be all-inclusive. The companies that are discussed in this release have not given an opinion or approved the statements made in this release.

InvestSource, Inc. is not a licensed broker, broker dealer, market maker, investment banker, investment advisor, analyst or underwriter. InvestSource, Inc. affiliates, officers, directors and employees may also have bought, or may buy the shares discussed in this opinion and may profit in the event of a rise in value. InvestSource, Inc. will not advise as to when it decides to sell and does not, and will not, offer any opinion as to when others should buy or sell; each investor must make that decision based on his or her judgment of the market. Please consult your broker before purchasing or selling any securities mentioned herein. InvestSource has agreed to be compensated 58,600 free trading shares of PSPM for services rendered. To view full disclaimers, please go to http://investsourceinc.com/php/disclaimer.php (disclaimers).

CONTACT: InvestSource, Inc WWW: http://www.investsourceinc.com

M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com.

More News:   Market Updates | Stock Alerts | All Trading News | Stock Index